WHAT a difference a week makes - and if you don't believe me, just ask Arsene Wenger.

There was Arsenal, cruising along merrily and dreaming of the treble when suddenly they hit a rock in the shape of United.

Three days later the tiller was wrenched from Wenger's grip and they ran aground again, this time in front of their own supporters as Chelsea ended their European dream.

Now they must wonder if they are heading for total disaster. Out of the FA Cup and the Champions League, surely they are not going to let all three slip through their fingers?

Stranger things have happened, and they face what could prove to be their toughest test today as they come up against a Newcastle side doing its best to turn Wenger's dream into a nightmare.

So what went wrong?

Well, firstly United showed everyone Arsenal were far from invincible when the sides met at Highbury a fortnight ago before pulling off that great win in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend.

Doubt set in and once that happens anything can go wrong. Confidence dwindles and I reckon Fergie sensed that when he said he wouldn't bet against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final. He was spot on.

Blip

It is virtually impossible for a team to go through a season without a blip in form. Sometimes they have more than one, and you always hope you get them out of the way as soon as possible. Arsenal's has come late, just when you don't want it. They must be devastated after losing to both their biggest rivals in six days, now we will see how they react.

Chelsea fully deserved their win and I was delighted for their manager. Claudio Ranieri has been treated shabbily for most of the season and nothing would please me more than to see him take his side to the European final then tell Chelsea what they can do with their job.

What a delightful, charming man he seems. The way he handles the media and the pressures of the job is brilliant.

Both Sir Alex and Wenger could learn a thing or two from Claudio. He never says anything derogatory about the opposition, only speaks about his own players and club, and that is so refreshing.

With Real Madrid, then the holders AC Milan so surprisingly knocked out, could this be Chelsea's year? Who knows?

I can see them getting past Monaco over two games and anything could happen after that and what a twist to the tale it would be to have two of my old clubs Chelsea and Porto playing each other in the European Cup final!

Which brings me back to Arsenal.Without doubt they have had a tremendous season but I think their failure shows you just how hard it is to sweep the board.